Control mechanism



A'. F. STAPLES.

CONTROL MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED JULY 19. 1am.

Lmaflmm Patentedluly 1, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l A. F STAPLES. CONTROL MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED LULYIQ, 191B.

Patented July 1, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

422552555 FEEEEQE ALBERT F. STAPLES, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CONTROL MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1, 1919.

Application filed July 19, 1918. Serial No. 245,745.

This invention relates to control-mechanism for use upon motor-vehicles.

In connection with the planetary type of power-transmission mechanism,particularly as used in the well-known Ford automobile, thecontrol-mechanism includes a pedal which has three operative positions.In the intermediate position of this pedal the high speed drive-clutchand the low-speed driveclutch are both disengaged, and it is oftendesirable to hold the pedal in this position for a substantial length oftime, when the vehicle is coasting or during a short stop-.

One object of the invention is to provide means by which the holding ofthe pedal in intermediate or neutral position is facilitated. To thisend it is' proposed to use a device which cooperates with the foot andconstitutes an abutment or stop so located as to support the foot in theproper position of rest. This stop is preferably yielding, however, sothat it may be disengaged by a mere pressure of the foot when pushingthe pedal beyond the intermediate position.

When the pedal before mentioned is in its intermediate position theengine of the vehicle is relieved from load, and it tends to accelerateunless checked by a partial clo-' sure of the throttlefvalve. A furtherobject of the present invention is to provide means by which theengine-speed shall be checked, without manipulation of the usualthrottlecontrolling means or other attention on the part of theoperator, whenever the pedal is moved to intermediate position. To thisend it is proposed to use a device adapted to be engaged and controlled'by the foot when moving the pedal to and holding itin intermediateposition, this device being arranged to control the engine through thethrottlevalve or any other suitable speed-controlling device. I

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side-elevation oicontrol-mechanimn enibodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is arear-elevation, on a larger scale than Fig. 1, of a portion ofthemechanism including particularly the foot engaging abutments; Fig. 3 isa plan-view of the parts shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a plan-view of theentire mechanism; Fig. 5 is a partial rear-elevation showingparticularly the connections with the throttle-valve; and Fig. 6 is alongitudinal sectional view of the extensible link forming a part ofsaid connections.

The invention is illustrated as embodied in mechanism adaptedparticularly for use with the Ford automobile. The clutch-controllingpedal 10 is shown in Fig. 1, in its normal position, by full lines,while its intermediate position is shown in dotted lines. Directly abovethe path of movement of this pedal is an abutment or stop 11, in theform of a roller, so located that it may be engaged by the toe when thepedal is in its intermediate position. lBy pressing the toe lightlyagainst this roller the foot may be steadied and supported in.thecorrect position to hold the pedal in intermediate or neutral position.

To further facilitate the maintenance of the foot in the desiredposition, a second abutment 12, also in the formof a roller, is

preferably mounted behind the roller 11, so that the toe is embraced bythe two rollers and thus steadied against movement in either direction.

The two rollers are supported on rods 13, which are fixed, inparallelposition, on a metal strip 14. Being rotatable, the rollers permit thetoe to pass more freely into and out of operative engagement with them.The strip 14 is twisted to provide a neck 15 in which the width of themetal is horizontal,

and its forward end is fixed to a divided collar 16 which may be clampedaround the usual steering-column 17 of the vehicle.

The arrangement just described not only affords a simple and convenientdevice for supporting therollers in the proper position, but it alsoprovides for a yielding movement of the rollers in a vertical direction,the strip 14 being, for this purpose, made of spring-metal so that itcan bend resiliently in the neck 15. This yielding support of therollers makes it unnecessary.

' to shift the foot upon the pedal when moving it into and out ofcooperative relation with the rollers, since the latter, while supporting the foot with suflicient firmness in the required positions,will yield when subjected to an enhanced pressure, so as to ride overthe toe during forward and rearward movements of the toe in moving thepedal from one osition to another.

Althoug 1 the chief utility of the rollers is in holding the foot inintermediate position, it will be noted that they also assist in holdingit in each of the other two positions, the roller 12 supporting the footwhile the pedal is in normal position, and the roller 11 supporting thefoot against retracting movement when the pedal is held in its forwardposition.

To prevent the rollers from rotating too freely and from rattling on therods 13, a

flat spring 18 is arranged to bear frictionally against the ends of therollers, as shown in Fig. 3.

To carry out the second part of the invention before mentioned, thecontrol-mechanism is associated with the throttle-valve of the engine. Acarburete 19 of ordinary form is shown in the drawings, thethrottlevalve being embodied in this carbureter in a familiar manner,and being actuated by a rocking arm 20. This throttle-valve is normallycontrolled by the usual hand-lever 21, which is carried on thesteering-column and cotiperates with the usual retaining-segment 22. Thelever 21 rotates a rod 23. passing downwardly through thesteeringcolumn, and near its lower end the rod carries an arm 24 whichis connected, through a link 25, with the throttle-valve arm 20. In Fig.4 the parts just described are shown in the position in which thethrottle-valve is nearly closed, the valve being opened by rearwardmovement of the lever 21, which causes the link 25 to be pulled by thearm 24.

The means peculiar to the present invention for operating thethrottle-valve comprise an actuating member or toe-plate 26, which islocated between the rollers 11 and 12. This member is fixed on a rod 27which turns in sleeves 28 on a plate 29 which is fixed to the strip 14,as shown in Fig. 2. By means of a universal joint 30.

the rod 27 is connectedwith a rod 31 which extends forwardly anddownwardly. This rod 31 is supported. near its forward end, by abearing-arm 32, which is shown as slotted so 'as to embrace and be fixedby a .bolt 33 conveniently located on the frame of the vehicle. An arm34, projecting upwardly from the rod 31, is connected with thethrottle-valve through the intermediation of the link 25.

In order that the two throttle-controlling members may act independentlythrough the link 25. this link is made in two independently movablemembers 35 and 36, which are embraced by a sleeve 37 (Fig. 6). The

sleeve is fixed to the member 35 by a pin 38',

but the member 36 is free to slide in the sleeve, this movement beinglimited, however, by a pin 39 which projects outwardly from the member36, through a longitudinal slot in the sleeve. A spring 40, attached. atits ends to the pins 38 and 39, tends to hold the latter at the innerend of its slot as shown in Fig. 6. The arm 34 on the rod 31 isconnected with the link-member 36 by means of a link 41, which ispivoted to the arm 34 at one end, while its other end is attached to apivot-pin 42 depending from the member 36 through a longitudinal slot inthe sleeve 37.

When the hand-lever 21 is moved to operate the throttle-valve thelink-members 35 and 36 retain the relative position shown in Fig. 6 andmove as a unit. When the throttle-valve is opened in this manner themovement of the link 25 is transmitted to the toe-plate 26, which isthus moved to the depressed position shown in Fig. 1. If then thetoe-plate be raised by engagement with the toe, as before described, therod 31 is turned and the arm 34, acting through the link 41 and the pin42, moves the link-member 36 outwardly (to the right) in the sleeve 37,and thus moves the throttle-valve toward closed position, this movementbeing permitted by the extension of the spring 40. When the toe-plate 26is released the spring 40 returns the link-member 36 to its normalposition in the sleeve s0 that the throttlevalve is again opened to theextent determined by the position of the hand-lever 21.

A valuable feature of the illustrated embodiment of the inventionresides in the fact that it may be applied to an automobile withpractically no alteration thereof, the only requirement bein theprovision of. a hole in the foot-board or the admission of the rod 31.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment thereof hereinbeforedescribed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but it may beembodied in various other forms within the scope of the followingclaims.

The invention claimed is:

1. Control mechanism. for a motor-vehicle, comprising; a pedal havingthree operative positions, and means, adjacent the path of movement ofthe pedal, for engagement with the foot to steady the foot when holdingthe pedal in its intermediate position.

2. Control-mechanism, as in claim 1, in which the said means comprisetwo abutments between which the toe ma be introduced when holding thepedal in its inter- .nediate position.

3. Control-mechanism, as in claim 1, in which said means comprise anabutment located in position to be engaged by the sole of the foot whileholding the pedal in its intermediate position, 4

4. Control-mechanism as in claim 3, in which said abutment is in theform of a roller.

5. Control-mechanism, as in claim 3, in which aid abutment is mountedyieldingl'y so that it may be displaced by the foot while moving thepedal from its intermediate positlon to its extreme position.

G. Control mechanism, as in claim 1, in which said means are providedwith a clamp ing device by which they may be secured to and supported onthe steering-column of the vehicle.

7 Control-mechanism, for a motor-vehicle, comprising; a pedal forcontrolling the transmission'mechanism of the vehicle, and means forcontrollin the speed of the engine of the vehicle, said means beinglocated adjacent the pedal in position to be engaged by the foot, whenthe pedal is moved to a certain position, and to be moved thereby in adirection to reduce the engine-speed.

8. Control-mechanism, as in claim 1, in combination with an Iengine-controlling member arranged in position to be engaged by the footwhile holding the pedal in its intermediate position.

9. Control mechanism, for a motor-vehicle, comprising: a pedal havingthree operative positions; two abut-meats between which the toe may beintroduced when holding the pedal in its intermediate position; and anengine-controlling member located in position to be engaged by the toowhen introduced between said abutments.

10. Control-meehanism,, for a motor-vehicle, comprising; a support, tworollers rotatably mounted in parallel position on the support, and meansfor securing the support to the vehicle with-the rollers located abovethe path of movement of the upper end of the pedal.

11. (lontrolanechanism, as in claim 10, in

which said support is in the form of a resilient arm and said means isin the form of a clamp by which said arm may be secured to thesteering-column of the vehicle,

12. In combination with a control-pedal, an abutment located adjacentthe pedal, in position to be engaged by the toe of the foot when,resting on the pedal, said abutment being mounted yieldingly so that itmay be displaced and ride over the end'of the toe when the pedal isdepressed.

ALBERT F. STAPLES.

